Not using AGO and TODATE functions – I don’t know why anyone would like to avoid using AGO and TODATE functions for time-series analysis. The only two options are: non-Oracle DB which doesn’t support complex PARTITION BY queries or someone doesn’t want to create time dimension.

It’s Tuesday, and there was a big tragedy in DC that everyone knows about. I ride on Red Line every day – and now I’m starting to think that I’m not riding in front car anymore. However, it’s quite possible that I’d have been riding the same train.

Official info about BI nomination is here – http://www.oracle.com/webapps/dialogue/dlgpage.jsp?p_ext=Y&p_dlg_id=7687732&src=6642150&Act=335

The criteria’s don’t seem too difficult – I suggest you at least forward the link to your manager – supervisor.The only thing that is not clear is whether the award is for 1 person, 10 people total, or 10 teams. Please let me know if you can figure it out.

Other interesting findings – I found a post about all OBIEE and legacy products versions – http://blogs.oracle.com/bi/2009/06/ships_in_the_night.html by Darryn Hinett.

Something I just learned by an accident – Venkatakrishnan J (one of the most respected Oracle BI experts and an author of authoritative OBIEE blog http://oraclebizint.wordpress.com/) joined Rittman Mead consulting. Congratulations and Best wishes for all parties involved. You can read about it here – http://www.rittmanmead.com/2009/06/22/my-first-post-here-joining-rittman-mead/

1. Just like everyone else, I got excited about Content Accelerator Framework. Christian Berg posted about it here “OTN: CAF” and Venkat posted about it on his blog as well content accelerator framework. Unfortunately, it’s only going to work with version 10.1.3.4.1 which hasn’t been released yet. It’s a good step forward though, as the developer community has waited for such a tool for quite some time now. I’ve seen numerous service requests on Metalink asking Oracle about such functionality.

The most interesting thing about this sitation is that I was going to post about various issues of maintaining several OBIEE environments on the same day. And on the same day, I got the same assignment – to figure out a better and newer way to parallely run development, issue maintenance fixes (such as adding new users), and keep environments in sync.

2. OBIEE OTN forum has become a very competetive place – frequently questions are answered within minutes. mma1709 (please let me know if that’s ok to state your name), Christian Berg and Naresh Meda have gained Pro Status. Congratulations! Please keep up the good work!

3. OBIEE Job market. Judging from Dice – it’s down. I’ve been tracking Dice’s posts using OBIEE keyword for a few months now. It’s been declining steadly for past few months (not a big surprise really, since the total job postings fell from 90+k to 48k). For OBIEE the number went from 300 in fall 2008 to 186 today. Some of the postings are clearly for the same positions (through different vendors). Again, I’m sure that there’s always a project for someone with relevant OBIEE experience and skills, however, I’m sure that it hurts less experienced folks as companies are trying to reduce staff. Also, the situation is decreasing rates as desperation forces some people and companies to work for less. Stability is more important than a higher paycheck these days, so some companies use it as an excuse to lower salary / rate. Moreover, hurting financial sector makes it difficult to start new capital IT projects. I’m unwilling to predict the future at this time, however, I’d like to say that – if you have the right skills and personality – do not be afraid – this time might be an opportunity.

OBIEE powerhouses – Majendji (Adrian Ward – original Siebel Analytics blogger) and Rittman Mead have merged. I am very happy for both parties and I am sure that this merger will work out great. Congratulations!(I actually made sure that it wasn’t posted on April 1st)